This invention relates generally to accessories for archery bows, and more particularly to a bow stabilizer assembly having an integrated wrist strap.
Many accessories for archery bows are available for facilitating bow handling, stabilizing the bow during use, improving aiming accuracy, and so on. Once such accessory is in the form of a bow stabilizer which is typically attached to the riser or handle of a bow and extends forwardly therefrom. The stabilizer helps to balance the bow and absorbs shock and vibration during shooting, resulting in a more comfortable grip upon release of an arrow and greater shooting accuracy. The stabilizer is typically a weighted shaft that screws into a threaded bore formed in the riser or handle of the bow.
A bow sling or wrist strap is another accessory that many archers have found useful. The wrist strap typically includes a loop of braided cord that surrounds the riser. A mounting plate is connected to both ends of the cord and typically includes an opening through which a threaded stabilizer shaft extends when connected to the bow. The wrist strap is particularly useful when shooting the bow. In the shooting stance, an archer's hand usually rests against the riser with the fingers in an open position to prevent movement of the bow during aiming. Since the archer does not typically grasp the bow, the bow can be dropped after the arrow is shot, potentially damaging the bow and/or its attached accessories and causing injury.
The simultaneous mounting of the stabilizer and wrist strap can be unwieldy. The installer must first place the mounting plate of the wrist strap at the appropriate location. The stabilizer shaft is then inserted through the mounting plate opening and screwed into the threaded bore of the bow riser. As the stabilizer clamps and rotates against the mounting plate, the mounting plate has a tendency to rotate in the direction of the stabilizer and become tilted. One of the installer's hands must therefore simultaneously hold the bow and the mounting plate in position while the other hand tightens the stabilizer. In addition, when it becomes desirous or expedient to change the wrist strap, the stabilizer must first be removed.